"Plastic facade over engine compartment vents (both sides) feels fragile." I have the 07 246 bowridr with the black plastic over the vents. After two season both of them are cracked arond the mounting screws. I will remove and use fibreglass on the back side to repair.
They should have mounted them with a form of rubber washer to comensate for the stresses put on them from people thinking its a place to steady themselves as they walk through the area to the rear of the boat.
I have the same small stress cracks. I didn't think much of it beacuse boats are going to have small stress cracks. However I am interested in seeing what your finished project looks like and if is worth doing some time down the road.
